High pollution advisory: Why the haze and what's that smell?

Have you been outside and have you seen the haze? A lot of people are noticing the odor on Friday.

Why is this happening? The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality says we have a combination going on here: no rain for 100 days, no wind and dust particles are trapped under cloud cover -- a sort of blanket over the Valley.

According to ADEQ, some people have stated the smell reminds them of a landfill, while others say a tire fire or the acrid stench of burning oil.

While we wait for a change in the weather, there are some things all of us can do to keep the dust down a little bit.

"So driving on dirt roads, any kind of dust blowing, activities.. today, you can kind of take a break doing that.. that would be a good thing. If you're a sensitive part of the population, again today is a day to be just watchful of your exposure to the outdoors," said ADEQ's Timothy Franquist.

If you are thinking of running outside, you might want to reconsider and work out inside -- and unless you need to light a wood fire for heat, ADEQ is asking people to not light their fireplaces on Friday night.